Associated Press
Wildlife officials have removed 250 alligators from Disney properties in the five years since a 2-year-old boy was killed by an alligator at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, a newspaper reported.
The company has worked with trappers contracted through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to remove the gators, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Most of the nuisance gators taken from Disney properties are euthanized and sold for their hide and meat, a spokeswoman for the wildlife agency told the newspaper.
Some are also transferred to alligator farms, animal exhibits and zoos, she said. Those less than 4 feet (1.2 meters) are relocated, she said.
Trappers receive $30 for every captured gator, plus the proceeds from any leather and meat sold, the newspaper reported.
After Lane Thomas Graves was killed in June 2016, Disney installed a wall and put up reptile warning signs along waterways throughout its resorts.
Disney guests said they’re glad the resort is proactively removing gators from its properties. A biology expert agreed, adding that the removals should have a minimal impact on the Florida alligator population.
The wildlife agency has removed close to 8,000 alligators annually over the past five years throughout the state of Florida.
___
Material published with permission of the Associated Press.
